The exclusive Best Buy campaign to showcase the Nintendo Wii U and its games across the nation is being heralded as a success, according to people who have actually visited their local Best Buy stores. The campaign was so much of a success, in fact, even Microsoft employees were tempted to stop by.
Haverzine [via GoNintendo] did a brief write-up on a snapshot of a Microsoft employee found in the throng of people camping Best Buy, waiting to get their hands-on time with the new Wii U exclusives. One customer whipped out a camera and snapped a photo of the Microsoft employee who was hanging around and chatting with people who were play-testing the Wii U. You can check out the photo below.
According to Neogaf, multiple reports of individuals who paid a visit to their local Best Buy stores claimed that the turnout was a lot bigger for the Big 'N' than most people anticipated, with one user claiming...
At my best buy, the rep told us they only got one Station to set up. They expect low numbers that turned out to be completely wrong. There was up around 200 people in line at any time before 40 minutes till 8pm.Rep told me they were completely unprepared for the event turnout numbers.A best buy employee also talked about how Microsoft and Sony have contracts with them to limit competitor demo stations allowed in different stores.Also in another thread I saw how a Microsoft employee visited a best buy to talk about the Xbox One.The same thing happened to me where a dude in a Grey-white shirt showed up and asked why everyone was in line. We said Wii U. He said Why?! Why not just go pre-order the Xbox One. He talked about the Xbox One and started to talk to others in line.People in line told him to leave them alone. He didn't wear a Microsoft t-shirt though.
One other quick quote from someone who also drove to their local Best Buy to get in some game-time with the best and brightest from Nintendo, dropped this line about their experience with Microsoft employees being present, writing...
Culver City here, saw some people in MS shirts, but too many people were bashing the xbone - they didn't speak up at the part of the line I was, but I saw them near the back
For those who don't know, after the Xbox One's policies went viral following the console's reveal on May 21st, there was an extreme amount of sales surging for the Wii U. This coined the phrase: Microsoft, selling Wii U's since May 21st, 2013.
For the most part, a lot of gamers are rooting for the Wii U to succeed but its lack of games are a real drawback for purchasing the console right now, something that the Dorito Pope hammered the Reginator about in a very candid interview.
Still, Nintendo has some really, really big titles on the horizon and Monolith Soft's surprise entry during Nintendo's E3 Direct was a huge breath of fresh air.
If Nintendo can knock the price down on the Wii U and launch some killer apps this November, I don't think it's going to be a landslide victory for Sony the way some people might think.
